But that didn't stop the ahem-ing from some very fine establishments who feel that Red Robin is too late to the beer-and-ice cream game.

Boulder Beer, for instance, noted on its Facebook page that "CNBC made a little bit of noise in the beer world yesterday when they featured beer milkshakes as if it was the latest thing. Guess when they were at Boulder Beer last January they missed this on our menu! Planet Porter Milkshakes -- featured in our pub for over 10 years. Yum."

And a spokesman for the Park Hyatt Beaver Creek pointed out that the restaurant chef, Christian Apetz, has been making beer floats for at least six months, some of them with some unusual beers. "As the season goes on, the offerings will change slightly due to the availability of some of the beers (such as the New Belgium Tart Lychee), so the culinary team plans to create 'Beer Floats' around seasonal beers as they become available -- each recipe will be tweaked for a perfect combination," he added.